PlanetJune by June Gilbank

It’s still winter here. The snow hasn’t melted yet, and it feels like it’s been winter forever! I can’t wait any longer for spring to arrive, so I decided to create some spring for myself…

Here’s my vase of crocheted daffodils – a bit of instant springtime!

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I’ve written up the pattern for you – it’s another Donationware pattern, so it’s free to view and, if you like it, you can send me a thank you payment. I hope you enjoy it!

>> Continue to the Daffodils free pattern instructions >>

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One of the things I most love about my blog is the opportunity it gives me to ‘meet’ other artists and crafters and people who make things. One such person is Christy DeKoning, a talented artist who I recently ‘met’ online but coincidentally also lives in Ontario. She paints watercolour portraits and also sells small ACEO-sized paintings in her Etsy store.

When I visited Christy’s website I fell in love with the most adorable ACEO puppy painting I have ever seen. A few days later, and I now own my first piece of original artwork! My painting “Puppy Dog Eyes” is, in reality, even more special that I had hoped for – look at that eye! And I just love the colouring.

I’ll be framing it soon and I’ll hang it somewhere in my craft room. Christy also accepts commissions, so I hope my furbaby Maui is feeling photogenic, because he’s about to become immortalized in watercolour…

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I’ve tried something a bit different for my latest design for the AquaAmi range. My sea turtle is made with two colours of yarn, but is still all worked in single crochet in the round (apart from a few rogue hdcs). He is one of my largest and most ambitious designs to date, at 11″ (28cm) long from nose to tail, with a 12.5″ (32cm) flipper-span!

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I’ve designed him so his head and limbs appear to stick out of holes in his shell. The top and bottom of his shell are each formed from 10 hexagons. Yes, that is a lot of stitching together, but I think it was worth it!

Some fun sea turtle facts I discovered while researching for this design:

• Sea turtles, unlike other turtles, cannot retract their heads and limbs into their shells
• Sea turtles have evolved streamlined shells and large front flippers so they can ‘fly’ through the water
• Sea turtles spend almost their whole lives at sea, but females return to the same beach they were born to lay their eggs
• You can tell females from males as the females have a very short tail

Here’s his belly:

Once I have finished writing up and illustrating all the steps that go into making him, you’ll be able to make your own Sea Turtle! Join my mailing list if you’d like to know when the pattern is available.

What do you think of him? I hope you love him as much as I do!

UPDATE: Looking for the pattern? You can find the AquaAmi Sea Turtle crochet pattern in my shop.

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AmiDogs Set 3 includes:

• Siberian Husky (or Alaskan Malamute)
• Welsh Corgi (Pembroke and Cardigan varieties)
• German Shepherd (aka Alsatian)

The patterns are available individually, or as a value-priced set of all three. If you’d like to purchase them, you can click through to my store to buy (and scroll down; the latest dogs are at the bottom of the list!)

Enjoy!

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I decided I was being unfair by making my corgi design only apply to tailless Pembroke Welsh Corgis, so here is a Cardigan Welsh Corgi modification:

(The corgi pattern will include both versions!)

For everyone who is waiting, the AmiDogs Set 3 patterns will be available very shortly…

UPDATE: Looking for the pattern? You can find the AmiDogs Corgi crochet pattern in my shop.

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